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In Quebec, immigrants learn to speak French in intensive courses

Camille Théocharidès-Auger and a group of students, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at the Yves Thériault francization center. © RFI - Léopold Picot

Text by: Léopold Picot Follow

6 min

As Canada's only French-speaking province, Quebec welcomes tens of thousands of migrants, often non-Francophones, every year. To preserve its language, the province has implemented an extensive francization program for newcomers. Immersion in a classroom in Montreal, on the occasion of International French Language Day.

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From our correspondent in Montreal,

Camille Théocharidès-Auger, with a smile on her face and curly hair, rushes out of the teachers' room of the Yves Thériault francization centre. She teaches from 14 p.m. to 16 p.m. After a degree in literature, the young woman converted to teaching immigrants. In the corridors lined with lockers, the young French teacher, still in training, greets every second student.

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The centre welcomes about 2,000 students per year. We are in the largest francization centre in Quebec, so in Canada... so from North America? Camille presumes on the stairs. At the last census, the centre's students came from 92 countries and spoke 57 different languages. Entering the huge and austere building with its brown façade is therefore like immersing yourself in a maelstrom of languages, cultures and histories gathered for months in this school for adults with one goal: to learn to speak French.

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Quebec's francization policy is one of the cornerstones of the government's immigration policy. Faced with the ongoing labour shortage in the province, the use of immigration is more than vital, but the provincial government wants immigrants to speak as much French as possible. The francization budget has doubled over the past five years, from C$94.2 million to C$186.6 million.

Various levels

Arriving in Camille's classroom, smells of Asian cuisine mingle with the fragrances of Mexican dishes. The teacher apologizes: "With Covid, we had to extend the refectory in my classroom, but it's temporary, at least, it smells good before my class!" The guests leave the room and the students take their seats drip. Here, a young woman aged 17, there a man in his fifties. "The size of the groups is very variable, from fifteen to thirty students, with ages ranging from 17 to 80 years! I'm still looking for a way to reconcile the age gap perfectly, but it doesn't work so badly," says Camille, enthusiastic.

The beginning of the course opens with a charade. On the program of the day: conjugation, grammar and vocabulary. In less than a year, a large proportion of students have already reached level 6 out of 8. The language is therefore well mastered, level 4 being the equivalent of the French B2. "No one learns at the same speed and not everyone has the same goals. Some are aiming to enter university, others are illiterate in their own language of origin and simply want to get by: they have a specialized program, "says Caroline Boucher, director of the Yves Thériault centre.

Camille and some of her students on Thursday, March 16, 2023 in Montreal, including Ricardo (left row, 1st row) and Alessandro (left 2nd row). © RFI - Léopold Picot

The students meet in small groups and Camille circulates among themselves. She speaks distinctly by supporting her words with her hands. A woman in her thirties and her younger classmate train to transform sentences from the present to the past. The first directly finds the right use of the imperfect and bursts out laughing. "It's really very satisfying this light that comes on when the student clicks and expresses itself more and more easily," says the teacher with a big smile.

Intensity and determination

Joëlle Dumaresq has been working in francization centres for 16 years, and was permanently assigned to the Yves Thériault centre four years ago. Today, she is in charge of evaluating Camille. Sitting at the back of the class, she helps Ricardo Mendoza Montiel, 21, to conjugate sentences with imperfect and compound past: "It's sometimes more difficult for Latin Americans than for a completely opposite language, such as Chinese: some do not realize that they no longer speak in French, but in Spanish." A remark confirmed by Ricardo: "It sometimes mixes in my head! But the advantage is that when I don't know, I can try the word in Spanish, it's often very close."

Joëlle has known the young Mexican since his arrival in Quebec last year. She has collected many stories, and it is not always easy to take a step back. "We have psychologists, social workers, so we always try to keep this role of orientation towards the right people, even if necessarily, we remain attentive," explains the professor.

In order to obtain the government grant of about $1,000 per month, which allows them to take full-time francization courses, students must study Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 16 p.m. Ricardo started last May and already speaks French well enough to describe his schedule. "On Thursday and Friday after class, I go to work in a restaurant, and I also work there on Saturdays and Sundays," he explains, adding: "That's life!" Later, he would like to be a veterinarian. In Mexico, he once worked in a zoo, and he still remembers the eagles that soared from his arm. Alessandro Olivo Valdivia, his 19-year-old friend from Peru, hopes to resume his studies as a psychologist. "I'm not sure they accept my equivalence. It's a very long time to become a psychologist, and I'm not sure I have the money to do it," says the young man.

Place of socialization

More than a way to learn French, francization centres are also a place to reconnect with society. Ricardo was deeply affected by his arrival in Quebec. "When you arrive in a country where you don't know the language, it's horrible. We want to talk to people, to exchange, but you stay in your apartment. I understand that some people are turning to their communities that speak their language," he explains. He and Alessandro help each other during lessons: when one understands the meaning of a word in French, he gives the other the equivalent in Spanish. "Here, people are quite young, much more than in other centers, you can make a lot of friends," says Alessandro.

The two companions open up to many other cultures, and discover realities they did not know. "I learned a few words in Ukrainian, it's exciting how different cultures and languages are," says Alessandro. It is not Ricardo who will contradict him: he is in a relationship with a Ukrainian woman, met in the center. In a few months, Ricardo and Alessandro will probably stop coming to the center to study at university, or work. Their language level is already high enough to attempt the Canadian citizenship test.

► Read also: In Canada, Francophones are less and less numerous

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Read on on the same topics:

• Quebec
• French language
• Education
• Francophonie
• Canada